Kaizen is a methodology and a philosophy that is present throughout Lean organizations.

In Japanese:

'kai' = change 'zen' = good

Kaizen is often translated into English as "continuous improvement." This means looking for possible small improvements regularly.

Kaizen involves everyone at all levels of an organization in continuous improvement by asking them to look for ways to improve their own work processes. This kind of kaizen is something that occurs on a daily basis and eventually becomes a part of work itself. Kaizen empowers people to test out changes and see if they improve the way things work. People on the manufacturing floor, managers, and executives should all participate in kaizen.